Automatic feeder for can-filling machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. E. HUTSON & J. M. 0. JONES.. AUTOMATIC FEEDER EOE CAN FILLING MACHINES.

Patented May 17, 1887.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 J. E. HUTSON & J. M. G. JONES.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER EOE CAN FILLING MACHINES.

No. 363,068. Patented May 17, 1887.

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JAMES EDVARD HUTSON AND JOHN M. O. JONES, OF BEATRICE, NEBRASKA.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR CAN-FILLING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,068, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed December 8, 1886. Serial No. 320,995. (No model.)

soN and JOHN M. O. JONES, citizens of the cured a pinion, O. 55 United States, residing at Beatrice, in the 1 represents a vertical shaft, which has its 5 county of Gage and State of Nebraska, have upper end reduced and journaled in. the boxes invented a new and useful Improvement in H. The said shaft is provided at its upper Automatic Feeders for Gan-Filling Machines, end with a collar, It, that is fastened to the of which the following is a specification. shaft by a set-screw, S. In the lower end of 60 Our invention relates to an improvement in the shaft P is formed a socket, T. A set-screw,

to automatic feeders for machines forfilling cans U, works in a threaded opening, which comwith corn; and it consists in the peculiar eonmunicates with one side of the said socket. struction and combination of devices,that will V represents a miter gearwheell, which is be more fully set forth hereinafter, and parsecured on the shaft P above the lower j ournal- 6 5 ticularly pointed out in the claims. box, H, and meshes with the wheel 0.

[5 The object of our invention is to provide a V represents a horizontal supporting-arm, device for automatically supplying the canwhich has its inner end bolted to the vertical filling machine with corn, and thereby enastandard A at a suitable distance from the bling the machine to operate steadily and reglower end thereof. The outer end of the arm 0 ularly and at an increase of speed. N forms the half of a ring, W, the other half In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of which is formed separately and is bolted to view of an automatic feeder embodying our that portion which is formed with the arm. improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the X represents an inclined brace-arm, WlllCl1--.. m same, partly in section. has its lower end bolted to the base-plate B. 7

A represents a vertical standard, which is between the sides of the standard A, the upprovided at its lower end with a supporting per end of the said brace-arm being bolted to base-plate, B, from the rear side of which prothe under side of the supportingarm W, as jectsaright angled extension, 0. Aninclined shown. A funnel-shaped hopper, Y, is supbrace-rod, D, projects from the part 0, and ported in the ring NV, and the center of the 8 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES EDWARD H U'rhas its upper end attached to the rear side of the standard A, near the upper end thereof, the said inclined brace-rod being secured at its upper and near its center by bolts E. To

is provided at its rear end with a driving-pul ley, N. To the front end of the shaft M is sesaid hopper is vertically in a line with the center of the shaft P.

Z represents a worm conveyor, which has a spindle, Z, at its upper end,that is adapted to the upper end of the standard A is bolted a fit in the socket T, and is secured therein by 8 forwardly-extending open frame, F, consisting the set screw U. This convcyer extends 3 5 of two arms,wl1ich are provided at their front downwardly through the center of the hopper ends with horizontal brackets G,arranged one and through the spout at thelower end thereof. above the other and in line with each other, To the upper end of the conveyer is attached andto the front end of the said bracket-arms are a stirrer, A, comprising a vertical blade, A", o bearings, to which are bolted boxes H. The having horizontal arms A at its upper and 40 lower arm of the frame Fis provided with the lower ends, which are attached to the spindle I rearwardly and downwardly inclined arm I, of the conveyer.

the lower end of which is bolted to the stand- The operation of our invention is as follows: ard A. by the same bolt which secures the up- "When rotation is imparted to the shaft M by 95 per end of the brace-arm D thereto. Connect ing the front side of the frame F is a Vertical portion, D and arranged midway between the bracketarms G, on this portion D, is ajournal-box, K, and the rear end of the said frame is also provided with a j ournal-box, L, which is in a horizontal line with the box K.

M represents a horizontal driving-shaft, which is journaled in the boxes K and L, and

means of the driving-pulley N, the shaft 1? is also rotated by being geared to the shaft M, and the conveyor is caused to rotate in the hopper, and the stirrer is also caused to sweep around in the hopper, so as to thoroughly agitate the contents thereof, The corn to be fed to the can-filling machine is poured into the hopper, and as the shaft P and the conveyer are rotated at a regular rate of speed, the corn is fed from the hopper to the can-filling machine with the desired rapidity to keep the can-fill ing machine steadily at work.

The-standard A, the frame F and Vifland the brace-rod D are made of cast metal, and are bolted together, as before described, thus rendering the feeding mechanism very cheap, and enabling it to be very readily manufactured. The ring W is made in two sections in order that the outer half thereof maybe removed to attach the hopper or funnel, as the space between the said ring and the arm F is not sufficient to admit of the hopper being insert-ed vertically in the ring or removed therefrom.

Having thus described our invention, we claim v 1. In a feeding mechanism for can-fillers, the combination ofa hopper having a contracted spout at its lower end, a vertical rotating worm conveyer arranged centrally within the lower partofthehopper and itsspout, and an agitator carried by the conveyer above the worm thereof, to sweep around with the same in the upper portion of the hopper, and comprising the vertical blade A arranged parallel with the conveyer-shaft, and the arms secured to the said shaft, as and for the purpose described.

2. The herein-described feeding mechanism for can-fillers, comprisinga standard carrying a horizontal frame, a horizontal driving-shaft journaled in the horizontal frame, a vertical shaft, also journaled in the horizontal frame and geared to the driving-shaft to be rotated thereby, a horizontal arm, W, arranged beneath the horizontal frame and connected to the standard, the outer end of the arm having a separable ring, a hopper fitted in the ring and having its center arranged in line with the vertical center of the vertical shaft, and a removable conveyer coupled to the vertical shaft, and having a worm at its lower end and a fixed stirrer above the worm,which operates in the lower and upper portions of the hopper, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES EDWARD HUTSON. JOHN M. O. JONES.

Witnesses:

W. S. BOURNE, J. E. BUSH. 

